Springboro to unveil veterans memorial decades in the making

SPRINGBORO — The long-anticipated formal dedication of the Springboro Veterans Memorial will be held on Saturday, Nov. 11, Veterans Day.

The dedication comes six months after it was originally planned and more than three decades after Springboro Mayor John Agenbroad and Eddie Lawson Jr., a local lawyer and veteran’s advocate, first pitched the idea.

Plans for five military emblems morphed into the existing design, which features a continuous wall mural stretching 20 feet in length and 5 feet high. Panels tell the story of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard.

A second monument, a 9-foot tall, 6-sided monolith spelling out the stories of each branch, as well as the city itself, was added.

The memorial also includes walks and trees around a central plaza fashioned from stone, including imported granite.

Laser Imaging is also working on tree markers that will be placed by trees in memory of lost loved ones.

“It was an absolute pleasure working with the city of Springboro,” Smith said.

The Lebanon-based company has completed work on a series of veterans memorials, most recently the U.S. Navy Seal Memorial in Virginia Beach, Va.

Twice the Springboro unveiling was delayed while the contractors continued to work on the project.

Ceremonies planned on Memorial Day and Independence Day were postponed.

The total price tag is $228,078, including $13,400 in donations, according to city records.

Beginning at 11 a.m., there will be a presentation of the colors by the Military Order of the Purple Heart, police department, Clearcreek Fire District and ROTC Honor Guards, as well as a 21-gun salute.

Retired 3-star General Michael Zettler, a Springboro resident, is to make remarks. Local pastors Terry Carlisle and Wayne Mock will handle the invocation and benediction.